Changing Culture of Teacher Training Globally Digitilized World

Köksal D.

in: The New Normal of Online Language Education, Eda Duruk, Editor, Eğiten Kitap, Ankara, pp.59-72, 2022

  • Publication Type: Book Chapter / Chapter Research Book
  • Publication Date: 2022
  • Publisher: Eğiten Kitap
  • City: Ankara
  • Page Numbers: pp.59-72
  • Editors: Eda Duruk, Editor
  • Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

All over the world teacher education programs are designed to equip prospective teachers with the competencies and digital skills to tackle the difficulties of 21st-century classrooms and workplaces. To this purpose, pre-service teachers’ knowledge, abilities, and qualities must be developed as part of the teacher education curriculum in order for them to be prepared to teach effectively in school systems. As a result, it is argued that the academic program of teacher education should be supplemented with an important and integral component known as school-based experiences, or practicum, which provides students with supervised experiences and aids student teachers in understanding the full scope of their role as teachers.

In Turkey, pre-service teachers have the Course “Teaching Practicum” for two semesters. These experiences shape pre-service teachers since they are authentic, as opposed to the artificial atmosphere of university education courses. With the closure of schools during the pandemic process, each country took its own measures to continue education. Universities in Turkey continued their education in virtual classrooms by using different platforms as well as Microsoft teams and converting existing materials into digital materials. For the school practices and experiences of the students of the Education Faculties, the Higher Education Council has developed a package program for the tasks that need to be done every week for each semester. At the beginning of the pandemic, pre-service teachers were asked to watch and evaluate the asynchronous online courses designed for distance education by the Ministry of National Education. In the following periods, when the Ministry started synchronous education in schools, the lessons were observed and taught synchronously by the pre-service teachers.

The focus of this paper is to discuss the rationale for school-based practicum, highlighting the ongoing arguments and future directions of practicum in teacher education with reference to the experiences in the Pandemic period and the 21st -century skills.